Greater Hartford Pro-Am Opens With Surprise Attendee

NBA Guard Wesley Matthews Shows Up On Day 1

WATERBURY — Despite venue changes and a lack of marquee talent, hoops fans have stuck by the Greater Hartford Pro-Am Summer Basketball Showcase for nearly 20 years. As a reward to its followers, the GHPA decided to tip off its 17th season with one special treat: Portland Trailblazers guard Wesley Matthews.

The GHPA season kicked off its second season at Crosby High School Wednesday night with a doubleheader that featured Matthews and many of the top hoopsters from the area. As it has been over the years, the basketball was exciting, the DJ kept music playing and the hundreds of fans enjoyed their free front-row seats.

"It seems like the Waterbury faithful are starting to embrace us, and I see a bunch of — I mean a whole boatload of — Hartford people that still love the game and what we do," said GHPA founder and organizer Pete Higgins. "The support is there. That gives us enough to say we are going to keep doing it."

"It is just about playing; it is fun coming out to things like this," Matthews said. "You can't ask for anything else; it is just basketball in its purest form."

Matthews' father, Wes Matthews, is a Bridgeport native and a former NBA player with connections to the GHPA. Wesley Matthews grew up in Wisconsin but is spending time during the off-season with his father. He played in a New York City Pro City league game earlier in the week and scored 50 points.

"It has been hectic, but it has been a lot of fun," Wesley Matthews said.

The GHPA has been known to draw current and former UConn stars such as Kemba Walker, AJ Price and Andre Drummond. But this year, Higgins worked hard to get the league NBA-certified. The certification means more pros like Matthews can drop in for games throughout the summer without fear of being fined by the NBA.

Matthews' appearance on Wednesday was superb, as he scored 23 points (19 in the first half) in Hot 93.7's 102-90 win over the St. Mary's All-Stars. Matthews put on a show with his three-point shooting and athletic ability in transition as he wowed the crowd with an array of dunks.

But the league features more than just the pros. In the night's opening game, Saint Anselm College 2011 grad Thomas Baudinet scored 34 points while helping lead the All Faith Angels to a 116-112 victory over the Atty. D Freeman All-Stars.

"This is definitely the best league in the state in my opinion," Baudinet said.

Baudinet, who also plays in the NBA D-League and professionally in Japan, went toe-to-toe with East Hartford's Cane Broome, a 2014 St. Thomas More graduate who will be playing at Sacred Heart next season. Broome, one of the league's younger stars, scored 34 points using his speed to get easy buckets in transition and set up his left-handed jump shot. Freeman nearly erased a 14-point hole late in the fourth quarter before running out of time.

"Everybody played hard and because of the NBA rules, you always have time," Broome said. "Everybody is so good in this league, so you can't fall asleep. We got back in the game, but then we took a couple plays off and they went right back up."

Broome was teammates with a duo from the University of New Haven: Kevin McLaughlin and Eric Anderson. All Faith showcased four players from Trinity: Jaquann Starks, Shay Ajayi, Alex Conaway and Ed Ogundeko.

For many of the college and overseas players in the GHPA, the goal is to get where Matthews is. And the pro, who went undrafted in 2009 and had to earn a spot in the NBA Summer League, had a message for guys who are wearing similar shoes:

"Remember your roots, remember where you came from. Lots of guys have made it after not being drafted. Just come out here and play basketball," he said.